The SCALE Says You’re Healthy, But Are You?

I recently read an article in which the CEO of McDonald’s discusses how he lost 20 pounds by simply increasinghis level of activity, while continuing his daily consumption of McDonald’s food.

I immediately felt that this article was sending confusing messages about what is “healthy” and I feel the concept of health is often misrepresented and not necessarily just within the article I read, but speaking generally of our society.

It seems that people associate NOT being overweight with being HEALTHY. While being overweight is certainly unhealthy, there are plenty of “THIN” people who are a lot more unhealthy on the inside than outer appearances may reveal. Thin people can actually develop diabetes, for example. The problem lies within this misunderstanding, that as long as you avoid overconsumption of calories, you are fine. Wrong.

Weight loss or management is simply the effect of calories expended vs calories consumed. So, you could eat McDonald’s everyday for example and be considered a “healthy weight”, but still be unhealthy.

The problem is that the vast majority of fast food is processed & devoid of a lot of essential nutrients. So you see, it’s more than making sure your burger is 300 calories or less. Look beyond the calories because what’s the point of that “less-that-300-calorie” burger, if it lacks your vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients? It is merely “empty” calories.

Take the ever-popularSausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddle from McDonald’s. This breakfast sandwich is made up of griddle cakes (aka bread), sausage, eggs, & cheese. So you’ve got lots of protein, thats great, and you get calcium from the cheese, but what we don’t see is a single vegetable on this sandwich. The fiber content is not great and the sodium content is OUTRAGEOUS! Not only can this type of meal very taxing on your digestive system, but this is a perfect example of the important nutrients you are missing.

While you should consume adequate amounts of complex carbohydrates, lean protein, & healthy fats; you need more than that. We need vitamins, minerals, & phytonutrients. They are the disease fighters, the preventers of illness, our little soldiers.

Macronutrients

‘Nutrients’ of which we must consume the largest quantity in order to sustain life and grow. (This is where your calories come from)

Carbohydrates

Protein

Fat

Micronutrients

The vitamins and minerals, needed in small quantities, that are used in growth & development and managing the body’s physiological functions.

Sometimes calcium, sodium, magnesium, & potassium are considered “macrominerals” because they are needed in much larger quantities when compared to the other vitamins & minerals.

Phytonutrients

aka Phytochemicals (Phyto meaning “plant” in Greek) are the plant nutrients or chemicals within plants that can help to prevent and/or fight disease & other ailments by boosting the immune system and preventing cellular mutations in our body.

Allow our cells to communicate better

Prevent Heart disease

Prevent Cancer

Phytonutrients are often what give plants their color. Lycopene for example is an antioxidant and the phytonutrient that makes tomatoes red.

For the most part, it’s best to consume fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, & beans in their raw state. Cooking them can affect the phytonutrients and their benefits.

Give your body a chance and feed it well. Literally treat your body as if it were a TEMPLE!